SUNY Cortland Athletics

Colleen Ames enters her third season as Cortland's women's basketball head coach in 2025-26. In two seasons at the helm, Ames has guided Cortland to a 43-12 record (.782), along with one conference championship and one NCAA Div. III playoff berth. Ames also surpassed 100 career head coaching victories in a win at Oneonta in 2024-25.

Ames coached Cortland to a 25-4 record in the 2024-25 season, and winning the SUNYAC regular-season title with a 17-1 record in conference play. The Red Dragons defeated Canton, 67-54 in the semifinals, and New Paltz, 68-49 in the finals, to clinch their ninth overall SUNYAC title. Cortland earned a 48-46 victory over Endicott in the first round of the NCAA Div. III playoffs, before falling to Bowdoin in the second round and finishing tied for 17th nationally. Ames and her staff were also selected as the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year.

In her first season with the Red Dragons in 2023-24, she led the team to an 18-8 record and the SUNYAC tournament semifinals.

Ames came to Cortland from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y., where she guided the Knights to a combined record of 63-16 (.797), including a 52-6 mark (.897) during Skyline Conference regular-season games, from 2019-23. The Skyline Conference Coach of the Year during the 2021-22 season, Ames guided her squad that season to a 24-4 record, the conference tournament and regular-season titles, and the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs after a first-round win at Johns Hopkins. She also led the Knights to a 20-6 record and the Skyline regular-season title during the 2019-20 season and a 19-6 record in 2022-23 (the 2020-21 season was canceled). 
 
Prior to her time at Mount Saint Mary, Ames served as interim head coach at Clarkson University during the 2018-19 season and as an assistant coach in 2017-18. She also was a volunteer assistant coach at SUNY New Paltz in 2016-17, helping the Hawks post a 20-9 record, win the SUNYAC title and advance to the NCAA Division III "sweet 16" with wins over Bowdoin and Ithaca. In addition, Ames served as an assistant coach for the Long Island Lightning AAU organization for five years prior to her collegiate coaching experience. 
 
Ames is a 2017 graduate of New Paltz, where she earned a bachelor's degree in sociology, and she earned a master's degree in business administration from Clarkson. Ames played two seasons at New Paltz from 2014-16, finishing with totals of 407 points, 82 made 3-pointers, 177 rebounds, 45 assists and 45 steals. As a senior during the 2015-16 season she played in 28 games, 20 as a starter, and helped the Hawks win the SUNYAC title. Prior to New Paltz, Ames played two seasons at Division II St. Thomas Aquinas College. 
 
A native of Lindenhurst, N.Y., Ames is a 2012 alumna of Lindenhurst High School. She competed in basketball and volleyball for the Bulldogs and earned basketball all-state honors during her senior season.

updated 6/3/2025